Railway-rail clamp



No. 411,958. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT CEETCE.

ROBERT FORSYTI'I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY- RAI L CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,958, dated October 1, 1889.

Serial No. 308,102. (No model.)

To all whom z may concern.

Be it known that I, ROBERT FORSYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Clamps, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view of a railway-clamp embodying my invention, a portion of the tie and of the railway-rail being also shown. Fig. 2 is a View iu side elevation. Fig. 3 is a View in vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. et is a detail perspective view of the jamblock of the clamp. Fig. 5 is an inverted 4View of a modified forni of jam-block.

A designates the top plate of a hollow boxshaped metallic tie for use in connection with which my improved rail-clamp is especially well adapted, although it will be found applicable in connection with other forms of ties. In this top plate A is formed the holes or seats 0 two of these holes being adjacent each end of the tie and at a sufficient distance from each other to admit between them the lian ge h of the railway-rail B. These holes a of the top plate A are designed to receive the base shoulders or offsets c of the jambloclzs C, the holes being preferably larger than the shoulders or offsets for a purpose to be presently stated. The body of each of the jam-blocks is by preference of polygonal shape, so to permit it to be turned by a suitable wrench, and between this main body and the shoulder or offset c is, formed the shoulder or extension c', adapted to bear against the edge of the rail-ange b. The shoulder or extension c is preferably curved, as seen in Fig. 3, eccentrically with respect to the hole 2, formed in the body of the jambloclt, and with respect, also, to the shoulder or offset c.

Through the hole 2 of the jam-block passes the retaining-bolt D, which, with the nut d on its threaded end, serves to hold the j ain-block in position against the ilange b of the rail, but this hole of the ja1nblock is by preference somewhat larger than the body of the jam-block, so that when the jam-block is tightened against the rail, as will be presently explained, the latter strain will not be thrown upon the bolt, but will be borne by the tie-plate. The bolt D is preferably formed, as shown, of U shape, although obviously two single bolts might be substituted for this bolt without-departing from the spirit of the invention. So, also, if desired a single bolt and one of the jambloclrs might be einployed, a suitable fixed clamp being used upon the opposite side of the rail, although I regard the use of the jam-blocks upon opposite sides of the rail as the preferable construction. The main body of the jam-block C is of such breadth as to overlap the flange b of the rail, and by preference the under side of this body portion is inclined or beveled from its edge to the shoulder c', and as well also from its inner part to the corners 4 of the bearing-shoulder c2, that rests upon the tie-plate adjacent the shoulder or offset c. The purpose of thus shaping the under face of the body portion C of the jam-block is not merelyto enable it to better conform to the face of the railflange, but as well also to insure its tightly binding upon the iiange when the parts have been set to position for use.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that if the several parts be set to the position seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings and the janbbloelrs be turned by a suitable wrench in the direction of the arrows, the shoulders or offsets c will bear against the rear edges of the holes or seats a of the plate A, while the eccentric shoulders or extensions c will bear lightly against the edges of the rail-flange Z7. At the same time also the broad body portion C of each ja1n-blcck will overlap the corre= spending rail-flange, and if the nuts d be now forced against the jam-blocks the several parts will be securely held in position to firmly clamp the rail to the tie.

It is plain that by forming the holds or seats a. of the tie-plate A somewhat larger than the shoulders or ofsets c of the jam-blocks, as I prefer to do, the lateral thrust of the ecceni tric shoulders or extensions c of the jam blocks is resisted by the edges of the holes or seats a, instead of being thrown directly upon the bolts.

Itis obvious that variations in the precise' details of the construction above set forth may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, for example, while I regard the use of the eccentric shoulders c as the preferable construction, it would still be Within the broad scope of the invention to omit these shoulders and so extend the body portion C of the jamblocks as to bear against the web b of the rail. So, also, it is plain that instead of making the shoulder or extension c eccentric with respect to the hole 2 of the jam-block C, its edge might be made concentric With respect to said hole and the lower offset or shoulder c be made eccentric, as seen in Fig. 5. This mere reversal, however, is clearly Within the scope of the invention, and I Wish its equivalency to be understood.

One of the material advantages incident to my improved construction of clamp is that by means thereof compensation can be readily iliade for variations in the Width of railanges, since by turning the jam-blocks more or less, according' as the rail-flange is narrow or broad, the eccentric portion of the jamblock can be caused to iirmly bind the ange and lock the rail in position. y

I do not Wish to be understood as claiming herein the construction of metallic tie shown,

as this tie forms the subjectinatter of a scparate application filed of even date herewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

1. A railway-rail clamp comprising a bolt, and a perforated jam-block upon said bolt, said jam-block havin g an eccentrically-curved portion to bear laterally against the rail and having a shoulder or offset to enter a hole in the tie-plate, substantially as described.

2. A railway-rail clamp comprising a bolt, and a perforated jam-block upon said bolt, said jam-block having a shoulder to lock the edge of the rail-flange and having a shoulder to enter a hole in the tie (one of said shoulders being' cccentrically curved) and' having a broad portion to overlap the rail-Harige, subbroader portion to overlap said iiange, said broader portion of the jam-block being of polygonal shape to be engaged by a suitable Wrench, substantially as described.

4f. A railway-rail clamp comprisin g a bolt,

and an eccentrically-perforated jam-block upon said bolt, said jam-block having ashoulder to bear against the edge of the rail-flange and having a shoulder to enter a hole in the tie, (one of said shoulders being eccentrically curved,) and having a polygonal body adapted to overlap the rail'ange, substantially as described.k

5. `.A railway-rail clamp comprising a bolt, and a perforated jam-block upon said bolt, said jam-block having a shoulder to bear against the edge of the rail-ange, and having a shoulder to enter a hole in the tie-plate, (one of said shoulders being eccentrically curved,) in combination with said perforated tie-plate, substantially as described.

6. The combination, With a railway-tie hav,- ing a perforated plate A, of a rail-clamp comprising a U-shape bolt D, the jam-blocks C, having the shoulders c and c, and the nuts, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a suitable perforated plate for supporting the rail, of a bolt, a perforated jam-block upon said bolt, said jam-block having a shoulder to bear against the edge of the rail-flange, and having a shoulder considerably smaller than the perforation of said plate to enter said perforation, (one of said shoulders being eccentricallycurved,) i

substantially as described.

ROBERT FORSYTH.V WVitnesses:

Gao. P. FISHER, Jr., JAMES Il. PEIRCE. 

